1. Field of the Invention
A system is disclosed by which the activities of and conditions encountered by a law enforcement officer are monitored, transmitted to a dispatch station and recorded. The system includes a receiver/recorder/transmitter carried by the officer which can be activated by a manual switch or a sensor switch associated with the weapon holster and weapon to record and transmit a signal indicating removal of the weapon from the holster and record and transmit all audible sounds, conversations and the like that occur in the vicinity of the officer. The information that is received by the receiver/recorder/transmitter carried by the officer is transmitted to a receiver/recorder/transmitter in the officer's patrol car which receives the information from the transmitter carried by the officer, records and transmits it with a longer range signal to a dispatch station. The information transmitted to the dispatch station will energize an audible or visual signal to alert the dispatcher of a possible life threatening situation being encountered by the officer with the information transmitted to the dispatcher being recorded and logged in to enable the dispatcher to send assistance or back up officers if deemed necessary. The officer's weapon also includes a sensing and signal transmitting device that will transmit a signal to enable the officer's weapon to be located in the event it is taken from the officer's holster or from the officer by an unauthorized person to facilitate recovery of the weapon and possibly the arrest of the person who took the weapon from the officer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various efforts have been made to provide alarm devices that are activated by removal of a weapon from a holster and to provide a signal producing device associated with a weapon to assist in locating the weapon.
The following U.S. Patents relate to this field of endeavor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,451 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,037 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,019 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,344
U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,451 discloses the broad concept of providing an alarm device that includes a sensing device in the form of a reed switch associated with a holster to activate the alarm device upon removal of a weapon from the holster. The sensing device activates a radio transmitter when the weapon is removed from the holster to send a signal to a remote station indicating that a law enforcement officer's weapon has been removed from the holster.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,037 discloses a radio transmitter concealed within the confines of a weapon for transmitting conversations or other audio conditions to a remote station with the information being transmitted being recorded at the remote station. U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,019 discloses an audible alarm activated in response to disconnecting a flexible weapon retaining strap on a holster. U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,344 discloses a personnel movement monitoring system for replacing the use of two way radios and the like.
While various alarm devices are known, the prior art does not disclose a system equivalent to that disclosed in this application.